Closure retaining device



March26, 1935. 5 s. DE oRLow 1,995,472

CLOSURE RETAINING yDEVICE Filed June 23, 1935 tended to Patented Mar. 26, 1935 insana y PA-ffii:NT y OFFICE oilosUaE RETAINING DEVICE Orlow,` Detroit, Manufacturing Stephen` De Y Ternstedt *Micha a corporation of v Mich., assigner to kCompany, Detroit, MichiganA Y Application June 23, Y1933,S`erial No. 677,232 claims. r o.1.: ;,2o' 24) This invention `relates to retaining devicesof the type which are' provided Yto connectclosure members, such as radiator"'a-nd fuel tank caps; to the ller neck'openings-which-they are inc'oven which retaining Y devices permit the closureto bereinoved a .limited distance'away from the filler neck opening te permitthe filling or" the container with which they are associated;v but which Awill prevent accidental misplacement or vtheft of the closure from the container.

An object of the invention isto provide such a retaining device whichmay be diminished in length torpermit its insertion into the jkller neck beneath an inwardly extending flange *which is y formed thereon and which may thereafter be increased in length to lcause it to'rmly engage the inside` Wall 'of the iller neck, and which may then vbe locked in place in the 'iillerneckin suc manner as to prevent removal therefrom.

A further object is tofprovide-sucli a retainingy device which is so designed that when the closure is moved to a position away from theI iiller neck opening to permit liquid to be poured into the latter, the closure will be held in a denite posi-r tion wherein it cannot come into contact with the surrounding parts, such as the shell which ordinarily extends around the radiator, which shell in many cases is iinished'with lacquer or enamel, whichfinish might be marred or damaged if lthe K closure were permitted to strike against it.

A still further object of the invention is tov provide a retaining device which is so designed that it will serve to hold the closure in such posi'- tion when it is removedfrom the filler neck opening that any liquid which maybe present on the'v under side of the closure and which may'dripv off will fall into a trough portion which is formed in the shell which encasesV the radiator. This t is particularly desirable when the liquid 'tending' A to drip ofi the closure contains alcohol such asi-is used in radiators as an anti-ireeze medium; as suoli alcohol if permitted to corne into'contact'with1 a lacquer iinish on the radiator shellwill cause the iinish to become spotted or dis'colored. By causing the radiator cap to assume a positionv which will insure that any drippings therefrom will fall into the trough, this condition will be overcome. f Y

Other objects and advantages of `theinvention will be apparent upon referring to-the specification and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vfragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional View through the ller neck of a vehicle radiator, showing my improved retaining device for connecting the radiator cap to the ller neck. K

' insertedl within 'the filler tion; This filler neck has formed lo'n'it an inwhen'the-cap isb `v Figure 2 is a perspective view of` my'improved retaining'device detached from Athe radiator cap andv radiator ller neck.v f

Figure 3 is' a 'top planV view of the radiator i'iller neck *showingthe shape`of` the opening therein which permits the retaining device to bev neck. Figure 4=is afragmentary vertical section taken on the line of Figure 3` through the filler f neck yshowing my'improved'retaining device in the position of-being inserted within the ller' neck andi sl'iowingr'how the retaining device may be'fc'hanged inform to-diminish sV length to permit such insertion. Y Y

'Figure 5 is a fragmentary'perspective ,view of a modified forni of retaining device which will cause the radiator cap to always assume a definite predetermined position'witli respect to the ller neck whenthe capfis movedaway fromthe iiller neck opening."V f Y Y While `I' have illustrated' my` improved retaining device vas 1 being associatedv with a" radiator ller neck and a 'capifor closing such ller neck,A it will be understood that it is equally useful in connection with `closures for other -kinds of containers. y

In the drawing, the numeralv 10 indicates 'the top tankvof aV vehicle cooling radiator, with which is associated a illern'eck 12 of usual construcwardly extending iiange 14 having slots 16 provided therein, vand ajdownwardly extending flange 18,the lower edge of which isinclined to form cani'surfaces 20 which construction is well known in the'iart. The radiator cap 2'2 'has secured to itsl underside, byl means of screws 24, a locking bar 26 `orwell known" construction, which lock'- ing 'bar' isadapted to pass through Ythe slots 16 I eing applied in closing position upon the fillerneckrrand when the capis rotated thev'ends -of the locking bar ride upon the cam surfaces V-20 to draw theA cap down upon the top v ofthe fillery neck in `sealing relation in a manner;

which is'wellunderstood by those skilled in -the4 u f 45 being detached enparts being of channel shaped cross-section, yand l55 and being Vmislaid or 2 the base of the part 32 being narrower than the base of the part and fitting within the side flanges and on top of the part 30. The vertical legs 31 and 33` of the parts 30 and 32 respectively, are curved to conform to the shape of the inner surface of the filler neck.

The two parts 30 and 32 are connected together by a tongue 34 formed onthe part32, which tongue extends downwardly ande'xt'ends through a slot 36 which is formed in the part 30. A further means of securing the parts 30 and 32 together is a screw 38 .which passes through a slot' 39 formed in the part 32 and is threaded into' a= portion 40 which is struck outwardly from the part 30V to provide a sufficient niirrib'er ofthreads; The lower end of the screw may be expanded or headed over as at 42 assembled to prevent accidental separation of the parts during the inserting operationhereinafter described.. Y

An elongated opening44 isformedin the part 30 and a connecting member- 46extendsthrough,v this opening, the connecting member being free1 to slide loosely throughthe opening. The upper endlof the member 46 is bent over as at-'48 andi this bent portion passes through an opening 50.

Y which is formed in-aY T-shaped part 52'whicnis;

g tach the locking `barto 1t warte obvious that between the connecting' member 46V andgfthe` T-hk shapedpart 521s suchas to permit piyotalfmovefl secured against the under surface of the-locking bar 26 bythe screws 24Which also-serve to `at the radiator cap; The end of the bent portion-480i` thefrnember- 46-may be flattened as 'at 54 or enlargedinany suitable:V manner to prevent' it from through the opening 50 in the lt-shaped part 52,.- the form ofconnection ment between. the two;- The .lower end ofy themember 46 maybevupset-to form-ahead 56-or itmay be enlarged in any other suitable mannerY such as by flatteningl or bending it-,wwhichhead orenlarged portion isv adapted to prevent-.the member 46 from being entirelyv withdrawn-through' the opening 44. Y

v When it is desired ment 28 inside the loosened as far-as'possible,andthis permits the part 32 to pivot about the'point-wherethe'tongue 34 extends througnthe s1ot36.i,'1he part 32 mayj then be movedintoethe positiongshownin Fig`- ure 4, in whichuposition theoverally length ofv the anchoring element isreducedisuiciently to permit the latter to be passed through thefslotsto place thefanchoring. ele? 16 of the filler neck flange 14.v -Using1thecon Y necting member 46 as ar holding means; the anchoring element is'lowered` intothe? fillenfneck; until' the upper ends of the'` vertical legs-'.31l andf' 33.1ie" below'tlie'flange4 1'4; after which thean-y choring 'element may be turnedlto'anyidesirdfpor` sinon in' tnennerfneck. 'rhese'ew 3erV Hagamos-5 Y circular opening 58fbrm`edinit,'and a wrench or`V screw-entfernt such snape'aslto't'fint this' opent* ing' is then u'tni'zed to' tignten'- trie sc'rew'sa', which tightening' action causes: the' 'parti 32: to'fswing" ,downwardly about the pivot point where the creasesltiieiengtn ofthe-anchoring elementandV causes the' vertical iegs" 3i and sato' te' wedged APlugged with any after the parts have been `Y ing movement of being withdrawn iiller neck, the screw 38 isf After the anchoring element has been thus increased in length, the non-circular opening 58 may be filled with any suitabley material such as a piece of lead shot 60, which will prevent the insertion of a tool into the opening for the purpose of loosening the screw. The anchoring element may thus be locked in position in the filler neckv so that it, cannot be removed. The heads of the: screws* 24'f may havesimilarly shaped openings formed in them, which openings may be suitable material to prevent removal of them, or both the screws 24 and the the parts have been It will beunderstood that the construction and arrangementof trieparts of the retaining device is such that rotation of the radiator cap to permit the engagement of the ends of the locking bar 26 with-the camsurfaces-20 is-not interfered ,with Awhenthe -capds being applied closingpo# lsition upon the filler neck.. During this rotatthe cap; f the connecting meme ber 46 merelygrotates within the opening 44 in the'part30.-,Similarly when it is-desiredtore-A movethe radiator capfromthe filler neck to permit i filling-'the radiator, 'tov disengage the locking barfrom the cam surfaces andto'cause the locking bar to lie in a position wherein itmay pass through the' slots 16'in the flange V14fWhen thevcap'is-liftedupwardly. As-

the` vcap is lifted upwardly, the connectingymember 46 ispulledvupwardly through'the-opening 44 in the: partf30 until-the neck-which position isfillustrated by the dotted lines in Figure 1i.I

Due tothe fact that the vapors whichare present in the radiator tend to-'condenseon the under and since this-conduringthe AWinter surface of the radiator cap, densate Vquitey commonly months-contains alcohol.' whichv is mixed with the water in-thecooling system-toform an anti-freeze solution; itis desirable to'prevent4 this condensate from being permitted to` drip onto theradiator shell '60Y which partly encases the radiator,l and 'which quite frequently is finished with enamel or'lacquer which becomes spotted or discolored if alcohol is permitted to=come into contactwith it.-v

To overcome this difficult-m114 have so shaped the radiator shellas toprovide anannular trough port-ion 62' which surrounds'the filler neck. As

showniby the-dotted lines inFigure klithe lengthot the connecting member 46- is suchthat when the head' 56 comes into contact with the under r Vsurface of' the anchoring element, the radiator` capwhen swung to the rear side of thel filler neck willbe'inf a position-wherein its loweredge wiulie in the trough portion 62;.so that any condensate'whichdipsfoff the underside of the cap will fall into the trough portion; The liquid which drips in to the trough portion may escape' therefrom by draining' downwardly through the clearance? spac`e6'4 provided between ther'adiator shell 60"'a'nd` the filler neck' 12.

The radiator c'a'p' is' caused to remainin the position shown by the dotted lines inl Figure 1 because` of the distributionl off Weighty which is 'present'whent the ca'p isinlthis position; It' Will the cap may be rotated head or enlargedportion 56 engagesthe under surface of the part 30.y This be seen that the weight o'flthe?capfwill` tend tof pull vthe cap rearwardly away 'from' theller neck a pivot or fulcrurn point `located-where the' about v lower edge of the cap rests in 'the troughportion 62,' but sach tendencyto move'in'thisdirection' would necessitate furtherupwardS-movement of` the connecting member'fll throughthe opening 44, and such movement is prevented by the en'-v with'th'e bottom surface? gagement of the' head 156 of the anchoring element. A further -advantage 0f this arrangement ofparts` isthatY thecapisV preventedY from` coming into'. contactA withl any portion of the radiator-'shell outside of the ,trough portion 62, Vand therefore' .marring orachipp'ing of the nishing material'usedon thef'shell is pre` vented.

`In Figure 5 I have shown' a slightlmodication. of the form of connection between .theanchoringi element and the member/i6. In this formof the invention, Vthe connecting member 465has formed.

on it immediately above theV head 56 a ilattened portion'70. The opening in diameter'of the member 46, andat each side of this central portion of the opening-are' formed relatively narrow slots 74 which are slightly Wider than the thickness fof the flattened `portion 70, the distance register with the slots 74, thereby'permitting ther iiattened portion to .be drawn upwardly into the slots 74 when the 4cap is lifted away from vthe'iller neck, the head 'engagingtheiunder surfaceiof the anchoring element to. prevent complete withdra-wal ofthe member 46Sfrom the interior of the ller neck, in the same manner as is the case with the construction shown in Figure l. The advantage or providing the attened portion which is adapted to nt into the slots '74 when the cap is moved to a position away from the filler neck opening is that thisinsures that the cap will always assume a position at the rear side of the filler neck opening, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure l, since the engagement of the iiattened portion '70 with the sides of the slots 74 keeps it from assuming any other position.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a closure retaining device which is simple and economical to produce, which may be easily changed in form to permit its insertion into the container ller neck, and which may then be locked in that position to prevent accidental misplacement or unauthorized removal of the closure. By securing the anchoring element firmly m place in the nller neck rather than letting it hang down into the radiator upper tank as is the case with the devices heretofore used, rattling noises caused by the anchoring device striking against adjacent parts are prevented, and by providing a trough portion into which the condensate collecting on the under surface of the cap may drip, and by so proportioning the parts of the retaining device that the cap will positively be held in a position wherein its lower edge will lie over this trough the part-30 of the"- anchoring element through'which.- the member 46! extends is formed withacircular central portion 72 which is of a diametersslightlylargerthanthe from the end 'of one slot to the endof the opposite slot being slightly greaterY than -the4 width of the flattened'portionflo. With this con'` rmember adapted to portion, vspotting or 'discoloration of Ythe iinish'of adjacent parts is preventedA It will be realized thatwhereas I-have described and 'shown alpractical and operative device-,it will beobvious that many changes .might be' made'in' the sizegshape' and disposition'. of parts without departinghf'rom the spiritiof the invention. 'I thereforezintend that the description and draw.- ing .shall :be kconsidered 'as Vbeing vmerely illustrative and diagrammatic rather'than as'limiting the vinvention to the specinc showing.' f

Iclaim: i.

1. In combination witht-a container having a iller neck and a closure therefor, ananchoring element comprising'ftwo parts which may be movedrelative to each other to diminish the length of the 'anchoringelement to permit its insertion into the ller neck and which may then be moved relative to each 'otherinsuch manner as to cause theends voftheanchoring element to comeinto engagement-with filler neck, means to' lockthe parts ofthe anchoring'element together, and a member adapted to be connected to the closureandhaving a portiony 2. In combination with a container having a` therefor, said ller neckller neck and'a closure havingv an inwardly extending iiange formed at its -uppe'r end, an anchoring element comprised of two" parts, one of said parts being movable relative to the otherofsaid parts to diminish the lengthy of the anchoring element to permit its insertion into the ller neck vbelow said ilange, means to cause the movable'part ofthe anchoring element to assume a posi-tion which will increase the length ofthe-anehoring element after the latter has been inserted in the llerneck; and a be connected to the closure and'having-afportion formed thereon which portion is adapted to come"-into contact with'the anchoring element when the closure is moved'a predetermined' distance away from the filler neck.

`3.`In combination with a -container having a ller neck and a closure therefor, an anchoring element comprised of two parts which are so connected that one part may swing away from the other for the purpose vof diminishing the length of the anchoring'element to permit the latter to be inserted inside the iiller neck, means adapted to draw the parts of the anchoring element together whereby the length of the latter will be increased after the anchoring element is placed within the ller neck, and a member adapted to be connected to the closure and having a portion opposite end which portion is adapted to engage the inside wall of fthek zol formed at its the anchoring element when the closure is moved a predetermined distance away from the filler neck.

4. In combination with a container having a ller neck and a closure therefor, an anchoring element comprised of two parts which are so connected that one part may swing away from the other for the purpose of diminishing thev length of the anchoring element to permit the latter to be inserted into the filler neck, means adapted to draw the parts of the anchoring element together whereby the length of the latter will be increased, means adapted to prevent subsequent movement of said drawing means, and amember adapted to be connected to the closure and having a portion' theclosure is vmoved a: predetermined .distancel for the purpose of holding' said closure in closing away,T from the ller neck.-

5. In combinationl with acontainer having' a ller neckrand a closure-therefor, an anchoringI element comprised of two'parts, one of said partsy having a pivotal connection withthe-otherof said parts whereby the partsmay be swungf away from each other to diminish the'lengthofl the anchor-A ing'element4 to permit its-insertioninside the .ller neck, means connectedto one of said partsiof thel anchoring element adapted to' drawsaid parts together to increase the length of the anchoring Velement after the latter has been placed within the ller neck, and a-member having one endl adapted tobe connected `to the closure and having its opposite end adapted to engage the anchoring element-when-the closure isfmoved a predetermined distance away from the filler neck.

6. In combination with a container having a filler neck and aV closure therefor, an anchoring element comprisedof two parts,.one of saidfparts` the other ofA saidL through said having a slot formed therein, parts having avvtongue' extending opening, said tongue and slot connection serving as a pivotal connection between said parts where-` be swung away from each by said parts may other to diminish the lengthof theanchoring element to permit its insertion into'the -nl1erneck,

a screw threaded` into one ofsaidF parts ,andy

adapted to engage the'other of :said-parts `in such manner that when said* screw is tightened-the parts will be draw-n 'together` to increaseA the length of the anchoring' element after the latterhas been placed within the filler neckfrand` a member adapted to -be connected tothe closure and havinga portionformedthereon which portion is adaptedl to come into contactwith` the anchoring element when` the-c1osure ismoved a. predetermined distance away` from theV filler`v lar portion formed thereon which-is adaptedto t neck.

iiller neck and a closure therefor, a locking bar,

means to secure saidlockingbar to said closu1jeV an inwardly'and downwardly extending flange formed on said ller neck providing a-camy surface whichasaidlocking bar isadaptedto engage positionrupon'- said ller neck, an anchoring element adapted to befinserted within said ller neck beneathisaidjflange, means to lock said anchoring elementI position iny said ller neck, and amember adapted tobe connected to said closure by the same means which serves to connect saidlocking bar to saidclosure, said member vhaving a portion formed thereonrwhich is adapted to engage said anchoringA element when the closureis moved a predetermined distance away from said filler neck.

8; Incombination` with a container having a ller neck and a closure-therefor, an anchoring element adapted to be inserted within said filler neck,v meansadapted to'lock said anchoring element inposition within said filler neck, a member havingr a portionl formed lthereon which is adapted to engage saidanchoring element when the f closure is moved aA predetermined distance awayjrorn said' filler neck, means adapted tov connect said member to said closure, and meansl adapted to prevent subsequent manipulation of either the means which serves -to lock the an choring ,element within the filler neck or the means which serves to' connect the member to the closure. i Y

9. In combination with a container having a ller neckV and a' closuregtherefor, an anchoring element adapted to'be supported within said ller neck and havinga non-circular opening formed therein, a memberv adapted to be connected to said closure,-said member extending through the openingiin said anchoringaelement and having a portion formed thereon-which is adapted to engage said anchoring element when said closure is moved a-:predetermined distance away from said llerfneck, saidY member,.having a non-circuinto the'non-circular opening in the anchoring element for the purpose of holding the closure in apredeterminedpositionA when the latter is moved away fromv the ller neck.

STEPHEN ADli-ORLOW. 

